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Do you feel like scratching yourself raw every time your neighbor's pet rubs past you? Have you ever
wondered why your friend gets the sniffles every year during summer? Do you know allergies are a
major cause of illnesses? Nearly 50 million Americans suffer from some form of allergy. An allergy is a
hypersensitive immune reaction to an allergen that enters the body or comes in contact with it.

Everyone with an allergy has an interesting story about how they discovered that their body over-
reacted to seemingly harmless allergens. Once an allergy is triggered, the symptoms can range from
being annoying to deadly. From an evolutionary angle, allergies provided an alarm that kept humans
away from toxic chemicals, either from venomous animals or plants. The reaction from the body's
immune system acted as a warning system that prompted our ancestors to move to other parts of the
forest.

The balance has shifted with modernization, where there is exposure to a lot of synthetic chemicals,
leading to a rise in allergy incidences. Our ancestors moved to other parts of the forest to avoid an
allergic reaction; however, we continue to be exposed due to the presence of allergens indoors.

Some Interesting facts about genes and allergy:

+ Family and twin studies have shown that allergies are partly genetic child with a parent with an
allergy is 3 to 6 times more likely to have asthma.
+ Food allergies lead to 150 to 200 fatalities every year in the U.S
+ Allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic illness in the U.S, with an annual cost of $18
million
+ Allergic rhinitis affects 30% of the Indian population
+ Heritability for allergic diseases is estimated to be 95% for asthma, 84% for atopic dermatitis, and
91% for allergic rhinitis
+ Nearly 80% of histamine intolerant patients are middle-aged
+ Up to 70% of the variation in the risk for motion sickness is genetic

Gene variations are partly responsible for the risk of allergies. Other factors include environmental
triggers, stress, and the presence of gut microbes. In this report, we profile genes that are associated
with the risk for various indoor, outdoor, and food allergies.

We hope this report helps you understand your body better and safeguard yourself from exposure to
allergens and lead a healthier life.